The random etymology of the day

[Jonathon]

I'm guessin the "tion" looking Latinate is a function of it being anglicized or a mere coincidence in sound. It makes sense that the first use is Scottish.

I'm not sure I follow you.

[Tante Shvester]

And it's actually spelled "lokshen" or "lukshen", depending on which dialect of Yiddish one speaks.

Well, more like "לאָקשן", but I transliterated.

[rivka]

Yiddish has correct English forms as well as Hebrew. Go ask YIVO if you don't believe me.

[Tante Shvester]

I believe you.

Maybe for Shabbos, I'll get a whole bunch of Bazooka and make a gumption kugel.

[Scott R]

I don't know what that is, but it sounds gross.

[Annie Subjunctive]

I'm guessin the "tion" looking Latinate is a function of it being anglicized or a mere coincidence in sound. It makes sense that the first use is Scottish.

I'm not sure I follow you.

By Anglicized, I mean it being a Gaelic or Scots word that just kind of sounds like a standard English spelling pattern so then in English it gets written down as "-tion" even though the "-tion" isn't a morpheme, just a sound.

eta: Whew. I had a hard time negotiating those quote tags.

[rivka]

I don't know what that is

Something she made up.

Lokshen kugel is noodle kugel -- it's yummy.

[pooka]

even though the "-tion" isn't a morpheme, just a sound.

Hence the lack of gumptionary tales.

[Jonathon]

By Anglicized, I mean it being a Gaelic or Scots word that just kind of sounds like a standard English spelling pattern so then in English it gets written down as "-tion" even though the "-tion" isn't a morpheme, just a sound.

The OED says it's Scots, which is more or less a dialect of English, not Gaelic, so it seems unlikely to me that it's a non-English combination of sounds that just happens to sound like -tion. Especially since there's a possible connection to a Middle English or Old Norse word gome/gaumr to which -tion could be suffixed.

[Annie Subjunctive]

OK, I see that. But in that case the -tion is a totally English morpheme and not indicative of any sort of Latin genesis, which is kind of what I was thinking the whole time, just not articulating well.

[Jonathon]

Gotcha. That morpheme just happens to have Latin origins, but that certainly doesn't mean that whatever it's tacked on to is also Latin in origin.

[Nighthawk]

I have a question... Is this the right thread for it?

I was surprised that Firefox considers the word "teleport" misspelled.

I know it's a real word, but I decided to look it up anyway... Here is the definition:

–verb (used with object)
to transport (a body) by telekinesis.

Wait... What? Where does telekinesis come in to play here?

It has the more familiar definition further down...

(in science fiction) to transport (a person or object) across a distance instantaneously

...but I'm wondering where the first definition comes from.

[Jonathon]

Sure, this is a good thread for this.

As for Firefox flagging it as misspelled, I wouldn't read anything in to that; most spellcheckers are very, very limited.

But as for the definition, I'm as surprised as you. I don't think I've ever heard of telekinesis being involved. Here's the OED's definition:

The conveyance of persons (esp. of oneself) or things by psychic power; also in futuristic description, apparently instantaneous transportation of persons, etc., across space by advanced technological means.

I'm guessing the telekinesis aspect faded away and the technological aspect took over in the '50s or '60s.

[Tante Shvester]

You know what I found out about Canola oil?  It's not made out of canolas.  It's really rapeseed oil, a cultivar developed in Canada that is low in erucic acid.  But consumers were a little icked out at buying something called "rapeseed oil", so in 1978, they came up with a made up name, Canola, from Canadian oil low acid.

You can rest assured, though, that olive oil still comes form olives, corn oil still comes from corn, mineral oil still comes from minerals, and baby oil still comes from babies.  (after they squeeze out all the oil from the babies, they grind the dried out husks into baby powder)

[The Genuine]

Mineral oil actually comes from petroleum.

[Annie Subjunctive]

They grow a lot of rape in Montana. It's true, you drive along and see these big yellow fields of rape. Everyone but the farm kids thinks this is hilarious.

[Tante Shvester]

Mineral oil actually comes from petroleum.

Right.  And not from vegetables or animals.

[Annie Subjunctive]

Is it bigger than a breadbox?

[Jonathon]

Mineral oil actually comes from petroleum.

Yes, and petroleum comes from rocks.

petra 'rock' + oleum 'oil'

[The Genuine]

Oh, don't tell me you're one of these people!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin


Seriously now, was my joke calling Tante out on petrol but not on babies entirely lost on everyone  I might need to recalibrate my humor meter.

[pooka]

That one is actually still funny pointed out.  Well, to me at least.

[Jonathon]

Oh, don't tell me you're one of these people!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin

I'm also a flat-earther.

[Tante Shvester]

So's Porter.


(OK, not really.)

[Annie Subjunctive]

I'm a believer in the Hollow Earth theories, myself.

[Annie Subjunctive]

Hmm. I'm kind of interested in the actual formation of petroleum now. Have they ever been able to make synthetic petroleum, like they can make synthetic diamonds?